{ OUR HOMESCHOOL GRADUATION CELEBRATION & A LEMONADE STAND // TURNING LEMONS š INTO GOURMET LEMONADE...
a typical tuesday afternoon waiting in the parking lot just outside of vannahās girls gym. just kendall and I, as cam and brian were at basketball practice. i sat as we waited for her gymnastic practice to find itās way to the end. I listened as he shared all of the latest programs/games heās coded, in awe of his ability to to wrap his mind around coding language and the creativity heās been able to incorporate. we started scrolling through the camera roll on his iPad. a swiping left motion as we smiled and laughed through older memories as well as new. we stopped at a short clip from a few years ago. a normal day. I had turned the iPad camera on while we were having a dance party in the basement of nana and pop-pops house and kendall was refusing to join in so, I decided to record a special message in front of himā¦ to him. with the craziest of night time hair and the silliest disposition, I looked straight into the camera and said,
ākendalll carter homer, this is your mother. you better help his siblings make awesome thingsā¦'ā
his eyes lit up and then his heart. we watched it over and over and over again until he cried. the most precious cry that I never want to forget. ānow I know why you keep so many memories. why you always have your camera.ā he went on the say, āI love everything about you. the way you talk, the way you walk, the way you smile at us and how you get silly and laugh. I want to remember these moments forever. I feel so happy inside. I love my family. I just want to take the time to remember this now because I know I wonāt get to experience it the same way when im older and have a family and a job. ill have to work because I donāt wanna be poor and I might not get a chance to remember these moments the same.ā
and then, my heart exploded. that video clip that he loved so much was a tiny little impromptu, spur of the moment celebration that I want more of, no matter how big or small. deciding to make our celebrations a priority was one of the best decisions iāve made as a mom. choosing to make even the smallest of moments a memory and a celebration is a forever goal and this day was no different. I love everything about them, the way weāve chosen to live and learn together, I wouldnāt have it any other way. and, today was just a small celebration of how we pressed through homeschool and life turning the lemons of 2020-2021 into sweet lemonadeā¦
we celebrated the turning over our 2020-2021 school year with a sunshine themed backyard bash, a lemonades stand, a certificate ceremony, water balloons, popcorn, games and moreā¦
“for there is always light. if only were brave enough to see it. if only were brave enough to be it. ”
my lady reminded me of the beautiful amanda gorman in her head to toe yellow graduation dress. with all the sunshine she brings, it was the perfect choice to celebrate the day.
so many beautiful things have come out of such a challenging year. I asked cam to change the letter board and add a quote/message to help us set the scene for our celebration and āwhen life gives you lemons, make lemonadeā made the cut.
while i shopped all of my shelves for celebration decorations and activities, the kids finished up a bit of their summer āscheduleā with a guitar lesson and a few math games. we worked with our friends over at OSMO sharing how we use their kits to add a little extra fun to our summer āschool daysā.
“in this truth, in this faith, we trust. for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us. ”
our certificate ceremony will forever be a favorite. I get to look them in the sparkle of their eyes and let them know how much it blessed my life to be their mom and their teacher for another year.
{ Cameron Mikkel }
an avid reader, a critical thinker, an innovator with his eyes fixed on "transforming the future of transportation". a basketball lover, a creative mind, problem solver, peacemaker and w/ a compassionate soul.
{ Kendall Carter }
a comforter, a biblical scholar, a lingusit, a budding chef and coding whiz. a deep thinker and observer, a listener, explorer and compassionate soul.
{ Savannah Demi }
a light bringer, joy pusher w/ a creative heart and mind. a conservationist, a nurturer, a healer, activist and deliverer of straight sunshine.
ābeing brave enough to see it and brave enough to be itā¦ā is the resolution we uphold. and, I couldnāt think of a better way to commemorate that very lesson that weāve learned than turning these lemons into gourmet lemonades!!! with a budding chef in the family, we deciding to lace the day with sunshine and a whole lot of lemonade was only right.
we had a lemonade tasting and picked our favorite, ate popcorn, tossed water balloons, played games and said so long to another year of learning under our beltsā¦
āfor there is always lightā¦ā is a truth we want to hold firmly in our hearts and minds. āfor there is always lightā¦ā is the lesson that followed 2020 that weāll carry into the years ahead.